How candidates did on harassment quiz

All four major candidates for San Diego mayor passed a sexual harassment quiz devised by U-T Watchdog, an indication that whoever next sits in the mayor’s chair has at least a basic understanding of what is appropriate in the workplace — and what is not.

The Watchdog invited candidates to take the quiz in response to the allegations of harassment that drove Bob Filner from office effective Aug. 30. A special election to replace him will be held Nov. 19.

Quiz questions included:

Makayla is sleeping with her subordinate, Jeremy. Jeremy takes advantage, coming in late and goofing off. At promotion time, Makayla’s conscience won’t let her promote Jeremy. She gives the job to Jim. Should Makayla worry about a lawsuit? Answer: Yes.

Marcy’s boss, Bill, often approaches her workstation and tells sexual jokes. Marcy does not consider Bill’s conduct offensive, but other “reasonable” women certainly would find the conduct offensive. Can Marcy state a claim for sexual harassment? Answer: No.

All four candidates got 100 percent on the quiz, based on the sexual harassment training provided by the Port of San Diego. The U-T chose the Port’s training so as not to give candidates who have taken the city’s training an unfair advantage.

Can you get 100 percent?

Attorney Dan Gilleon represents a city parks worker who has filed a claim against the city, citing sexual harassment against Filner. He said it was a good thing that the candidates took the test and took it seriously.

“One of these candidates is going to be mayor, and it’s going to be in the back of their head that they took this test and they probably had to look up a few answers,” he said. “They probably didn’t know the answers to everything.”

The U-T survey also asked the candidates when they last took sexual harassment training.

Mike Aguirre said it was in 2008, when he was City Attorney.

Councilman David Alvarez last took training, he said, in August of 2011. His campaign staff said he was due to take another round of training Friday.

Councilman Kevin Faulconer had training on Sept. 20, according to a campaign spokesman.

Qualcomm executive and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, according to a spokeswoman, “is not 100 percent certain of the date of his last harassment training,” but “it was while he was in the Assembly. He didn’t save his certificates, but he did it on whatever the state’s required schedule was.”

Sexual harassment training became an issue in the last weeks of the Filner administration when accusations of the mayor’s unwelcome advances toward women became an almost daily occurrence.

Filner in his first apology July 11 revealed he had not taken sexual harassment training as required by law. State law says managers — including mayors such as Filner — must take sexual harassment training within six months of taking office.

“I will participate in sexual harassment training provided by the city,” he said more than seven months after his Dec. 3 inauguration.

Filner’s defense attorney blamed the city for failing to follow through when Filner had an appointment earlier in his administration to take the training. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said it was Filner’s responsibility to take the online course.

It wasn’t just Filner. U-T Watchdog revealed that 20 people in Filner’s office took their sexual harassment prevention training on July 23, the day after a city employee filed a harassment lawsuit against Filner and the city. Many had been with the new mayoral administration more than six months.

Gilleon, though, had a cautionary note for San Diego residents.

“In the end, humans are humans, and people do really dumb things, especially people who are arrogant, people who think they can get away with things that the rest of us can’t,” he said. “A lot of time we see it’s people like that drawn to positions of power, so I don’t think in any way, shape or form we’re not going to see this happen again.”